The tech sector in India added over a million women to its workforce in the last 10 years. State Governments, the IT industry, and academia have been lauded for the rise as the number doubles.
According to news reports, IT employed 9 lakh women or 30% of the 3 million directly employed in the sector in 2013. The number is now close to 2 million or over double, as the sector employs over 36% of women in the 5.3 million-strong industry.
Some factors contributing to this spike include state governments enabling the employment of women in the sector with supportive policies, an increase in the number of colleges offering tech courses for girls/ women, and a visible rise in the number of women in leadership roles.
The Times of India report quoted Debjani Ghosh, president of Nasscom, the apex body of the IT industry, as saying that increasing investment in diversity, equity, and inclusion has been a game-changer. “We are seeing outstanding efforts from leaders in re-imagining benchmarks and accountability,” the report quoted Debjani as saying.
